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1,861 books
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4,648 voters
“Only through freedom and environmental experience is it practically possible for human development to occur.”
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“The thing about smart people is that they seem like crazy people to dumb people.”
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“The environment must be rich in motives which lend interest to activity and invite the child to conduct his own experiences.”
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“My experiences as a Montessori teacher have led me to realize that our goal as educators is not to impart facts to children as though they were empty vessels to be filled, but to open their eyes so they can exclaim joyfully, "Wow, look at what I am becoming! I've got to know more!" (from Walking in Wonder)”
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“I’m often asked by parents what advice can I give them to help get kids interested in science? And I have only one bit of advice. Get out of their way. Kids are born curious. Period. I don’t care about your economic background. I don’t care what town you’re born in, what city, what country. If you’re a child, you are curious about your environment. You’re overturning rocks. You’re plucking leaves off of trees and petals off of flowers, looking inside, and you’re doing things that create disorder in the lives of the adults around you.
And so then so what do adults do? They say, “Don’t pluck the petals off the flowers. I just spent money on that. Don’t play with the egg. It might break. Don’t….” Everything is a don’t. We spend the first year teaching them to walk and talk and the rest of their lives telling them to shut up and sit down.
So you get out of their way. And you know what you do? You put things in their midst that help them explore. Help ‘em explore. Why don’t you get a pair of binoculars, just leave it there one day? Watch ‘em pick it up. And watch ‘em look around. They’ll do all kinds of things with it.”
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And so then so what do adults do? They say, “Don’t pluck the petals off the flowers. I just spent money on that. Don’t play with the egg. It might break. Don’t….” Everything is a don’t. We spend the first year teaching them to walk and talk and the rest of their lives telling them to shut up and sit down.
So you get out of their way. And you know what you do? You put things in their midst that help them explore. Help ‘em explore. Why don’t you get a pair of binoculars, just leave it there one day? Watch ‘em pick it up. And watch ‘em look around. They’ll do all kinds of things with it.”
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The Book Challenge
— 1220 members
— last activity Dec 15, 2025 09:48PM
What is The Book Challenge? The Book Challenge is a place where everyone can join in and share their yearly book reading goals. Do I have to read a ...more
Jen’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Jen’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
19,354 books
|
1,050 friends
1,719 books
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748 friends
3,487 books
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946 friends
1,886 books
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45 friends
667 books
|
91 friends
1,831 books
|
7 friends
731 books
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53 friends
2,468 books
|
71 friends
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